KCAP, CCATE, and Penn celebrate community through a participatory mural that brings together history, community, and future
Philadelphia, PA — On April 24th, the McNeil Building at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) filled with voices, color, and shared memories during the unveiling of Migrating Lives, a collective mural that honors the migration journeys of diverse communities across the greater Philadelphia area. More than the conclusion of a project, the event felt like an intimate gathering—one where art created space for people to recognize themselves in one another’s stories.
The project was born with three clear goals: to create art rooted in the history and culture of local communities, to explore contemporary migration practices, and to strengthen partnerships between university students and neighboring communities. Over the course of six sessions held in Norristown and West and South Philadelphia, participants from different backgrounds came together to reflect on key words that define life today: home, displacement, identity, and resilience. From those conversations emerged individual pieces that, when assembled, formed the mural now prominently displayed in the McNeil Building.
During the ceremony, Fariha I. Khan, co-director of the Asian American Studies Program (ASAM), shared the vision that sparked the initiative. “We wanted a project that connected communities through migration, stories, culture, food, and, of course, art—but also one that linked immigrant communities across Philadelphia, transcending ethnic and geographic boundaries,” she said.
Khan noted that in a city as diverse as Philadelphia, immigrant communities often exist in isolation from one another—separated by physical distance or by the absence of shared spaces. Migrating Lives sought to break down those barriers. “This project reclaimed a narrative about immigration that is triumphant and joyful, while bringing together communities that otherwise may never have had the opportunity to meet, create art, or share a broader sense of interconnected community,” she explained.
The creative sessions became exercises in collective memory. “We shared paint and brushes. We shared stories of origin and arrival. We shared family histories and experiences of confinement. This is not a single canvas, but the painting of all of us,” Khan said, emphasizing the mural’s deeply collaborative nature.
The event also served as a moment to recognize the work behind the scenes. Khan expressed gratitude to colleagues including Catherine Bartch, Associate Director of the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies (CLALS) at the University of Pennsylvania; Anabel Estrada, M.Sc., Administrative Coordinator of the Asian American Studies Program (ASAM); Shira Walinsky, painter, printmaker, and muralist and KCAP collaborator; Obed Arango, Founder and Executive Director of the Centro de Cultura, Arte, Trabajo y Educación (CCATE); Naw Doh, Executive Director of KCAP; the participating artists; Brian Karl for photographic documentation; members of the community association; CCATE work-study students; and undergraduate advisory boards. She also thanked everyone who traveled to the various project sites and especially acknowledged The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation, whose support was essential in bringing Migrating Lives to life.
Now, the mural stands as a visible reminder that migration stories are not only about movement, but also about encounter. Within its colors and lines live multiple voices that together tell a shared truth: community is built when stories are shared.